Formal and Informal Assessment of Student Learning
Name: Krista Bienkowski
I. Assignment Description/Requirements
A. Informal Assessment
The informal assessment that I chose was one from the end of the Evolution Unit. In the text book, on page 386, there was a page concluding the unit called “Summary of Darwin’s Theory”. This page listed 8 points that Charles Darwin has made. I separated the class into 8 groups and assigned them each one of the 8 points to interpret. I had each group (2-3 students) analyze their assigned statement and draw a picture to depict it, on paper I provided, any way they wanted to or could think of. They then had to come to the front of the class, present their pictures, explain their statement, and then answer questions that both students and I prompted. I did not collect the pictures, but used them to hang in the classroom. In addition, I had the students fill in a worksheet on the summary of Darwin’s theory as each group was presenting. I was able to assess their understanding based on their picture, presentation, and how well they responded to questions. I was quickly able to make corrections and clear up any misconceptions as the class went on.
It would have been useful to include photos of pictures.
B. Formal Assessment
The formal assessment that I chose was a quiz that I had given the students for the evolution unit. It consisted of 4 short answer questions. The reason that I opted for only short answer questions opposed to something like multiple choice, was because I really wanted to get a feeling of not only what the students were thinking, but the thought processes behind their answers. Evolution could be very confusing, and I wanted to identify any misconceptions before moving on in the unit. This quiz was based out of 12 possible points, which is standard for quizzes in my grading policy. Questions 1 and were more on the side of fact recall, which were each graded out of 2 possible points, and the questions 3 and 4 had to do with applying their knowledge in a situation they might not be familiar with, which were each graded out of 4 possible points.
You should include a rubric or a scoring guide to illustrate what you were looking for.
II. Description of Learning Goals
A. Informal Assessment
Theory of Evolution
Summarize the major concepts of natural selection
Describe how natural selection provides a mechanism for evolution
Explain how a new species or variety may originate through the evolutionary process of natural selection.
Explain how natural selection leads to organisms that are well suited for the environment.
Natural Selection
Explain how natural selection acts on individuals, but it is populations that evolve.
Give examples of ways in which genetic variation and environmental factors are causes of evolution and the diversity of organisms.
You objectives are nicely stated.
B. Formal Assessment
· Same as Informal learning goals
III. Assessments
A. Description of Informal Assessment
B. Description of Formal Assessment
Where is the key?
IV. Analysis
A. Description of Class Context
The class which I took this assessment data from is a heterogeneous group of tenth graders from a public suburban high school. I have them last period (6th period) on “A” days. The class has 17 students containing 7 females and 10 males. 4 of the students have IEPS and receive special services from the special education department. All 4 of them have an extra “study skills” class to help them complete assignments.
B. Analysis of Informal Assessment
The class average of the informal was 3.5 out of 4. The highest grade was a 4 and the lowest grade was a 0. I graded it on completion, not content. Students who received a 4 completed both the drawing, class presentation, then handed it in. The students who received a 0, lost their drawing before their presentation, and then failed to make one up. The female average was a 4, while the male average was a 3.2, which was due to 2 of the students losing their work and not making the assignment up. Beside that though, both males and females did equally well.
You are clearly comfortable with your scoring, but what did the assessments tell you about where your students were having difficulties?
C. Analysis of Formal Assessment
The class average of the formal assessment was an 8.25/12. If computed to a percentage, this is roughly a 69%. Three students have yet to take it because of extended absences, but they are above average students, so I expect the class average to increase when completed. This average without these students averaged in is on the lower side, but I take how the test was set up into account. There were only 4 questions, so they all held a lot of weight. The lowest grade was a 3/12 and the highest grade was an 11/12. The male average was an 8.6/12 and the female average was 7.9/12. I think there was this difference because there are fewer females, and their average is often skewed based on one outlier grade, in this case, the 3/12. If I took that grade out, the female average would be 8.75/12, which is much closer to the male average.
Should the males and females have similar averages? Why or why not? Did disaggregating the scores tell you anything useful?
High Level Student: Student 1
This student was able to answer the questions clearly and accurately, except for a little confusion with the first question. In all the questions, I was able to see that she understood the process of evolution. This student is in general a hard worker and does do well on assessments. She received an 11/12 on this assessment.
Without a scoring guide, you could have a tendency to give "hard working" students higher marks. Did this occur here? What were you looking for for each item?
Middle Level Student: Student 2
This student was able to answer each question with at least some correct information or insight. The only question he really had trouble with was the fist question, which was based purely on definitions. He had been absent prior to the quiz but still wanted to take it so he didn’t have to worry about making it up, so I feel that was why he didn’t do so well on that question. I would have preferred that he waited to take the quiz, but he has a long history of not making things up and being absent, so I allowed him to take it. He received a 9.5/12 on the quiz.
Lower Level Student: Student 3
This student doesn’t show any real grasp on the content. She was the first student done with the quiz, and said that’s all she wanted to do when I quickly looked over the test and told her that she needs more complete answers. She usually does poorly on assessments, but passes for the semester based on labs, assignments and homework, but she still should have more knowledge of the material than this. She often lets her life outside of school (friends, boyfriend) affect her mood in class (and therefore performance), and that is something we are currently working on. She received a 3/12 on her test, and said that she will try harder now and put in more effort.
How might your understanding of this student's habits influence how you give tests and quizzes?
V. Commentary / Reflection
A. Reflections from Informal Assessment
I feel that the Informal assessment is one which I would do again. Many students really like the idea of being able to draw a picture to explain their part. Many of them also came up with very creative ideas that had nothing to do with biology, but made great connections to the content. It was an opportunity for them to learn and expresses themselves in a way other than words, and the artsy people really perked up. It was also good for a whole class activity because it let the students become experts in their assigned area and deemed accountable for teaching that content to the rest of the class. This accountability really had everyone working and doing their part. During the presentations, the students also really liked seeing what other people drew and have the picture explained to them.
B. Reflections from Formal Assessment
I liked this assessment because it really highlighted some misconceptions that some students still had about the way organisms change over time. Some students were under the impression that organisms just change over time because they have to, and also could not explain the steps that would allow or cause an organism to change over time. So reading these quizzes really gave me the red flag to take a step back and get everyone on the same page about evolution before moving on. There were some students who did a great job though, and some who just did poorly because of the way the test was set up. The fact that there were only 4 questions, with a lot of weight on each of them caused some of the student’s grades to be lower then usual. I will still use these questions in the future, but I am going to think about using them in a quiz or test with other types of questions as well, so one incorrect answer won’t destroy their grade.
VI. Conclusions
Overall, I am very happy with my assessments and the outcomes of each. Although the averages weren’t too high for the formal assessment, the students and I both learned a great deal. I was able too pinpoint misconceptions and weak areas before moving on, and they were able to have their misconceptions cleared up and continue to learn material. I also gave them an opportunity to correct their answers in detail for some extra points, so again they were testing their knowledge. The informal assessment also tied into the unit nicely, and I feel that they did get a better feel of natural selection by doing it. On the quiz, they were able to explain natural selection, but the problems were in applying the material to a new situation. This is something that I would work on and stress more in future classes.
Which misconceptions did you look for? Which did you "pinpoint?"
Formal and Informal Assessment of Student Learning
Name: Krista Bienkowski
I. Assignment Description/Requirements
A. Informal Assessment
The informal assessment that I chose was one from the end of the Evolution Unit. In the text book, on page 386, there was a page concluding the unit called “Summary of Darwin’s Theory”. This page listed 8 points that Charles Darwin has made. I separated the class into 8 groups and assigned them each one of the 8 points to interpret. I had each group (2-3 students) analyze their assigned statement and draw a picture to depict it, on paper I provided, any way they wanted to or could think of. They then had to come to the front of the class, present their pictures, explain their statement, and then answer questions that both students and I prompted. I did not collect the pictures, but used them to hang in the classroom. In addition, I had the students fill in a worksheet on the summary of Darwin’s theory as each group was presenting. I was able to assess their understanding based on their picture, presentation, and how well they responded to questions. I was quickly able to make corrections and clear up any misconceptions as the class went on.It would have been useful to include photos of pictures.
B. Formal Assessment
The formal assessment that I chose was a quiz that I had given the students for the evolution unit. It consisted of 4 short answer questions. The reason that I opted for only short answer questions opposed to something like multiple choice, was because I really wanted to get a feeling of not only what the students were thinking, but the thought processes behind their answers. Evolution could be very confusing, and I wanted to identify any misconceptions before moving on in the unit. This quiz was based out of 12 possible points, which is standard for quizzes in my grading policy. Questions 1 and were more on the side of fact recall, which were each graded out of 2 possible points, and the questions 3 and 4 had to do with applying their knowledge in a situation they might not be familiar with, which were each graded out of 4 possible points.
You should include a rubric or a scoring guide to illustrate what you were looking for.
II. Description of Learning Goals
A. Informal Assessment
Theory of Evolution- Summarize the major concepts of natural selection
- Describe how natural selection provides a mechanism for evolution
- Explain how a new species or variety may originate through the evolutionary process of natural selection.
- Explain how natural selection leads to organisms that are well suited for the environment.
Natural Selection- Explain how natural selection acts on individuals, but it is populations that evolve.
- Give examples of ways in which genetic variation and environmental factors are causes of evolution and the diversity of organisms.
You objectives are nicely stated.B. Formal Assessment
· Same as Informal learning goals
III. Assessments
A. Description of Informal Assessment
B. Description of Formal Assessment
Where is the key?
IV. Analysis
A. Description of Class Context
The class which I took this assessment data from is a heterogeneous group of tenth graders from a public suburban high school. I have them last period (6th period) on “A” days. The class has 17 students containing 7 females and 10 males. 4 of the students have IEPS and receive special services from the special education department. All 4 of them have an extra “study skills” class to help them complete assignments.
B. Analysis of Informal Assessment
The class average of the informal was 3.5 out of 4. The highest grade was a 4 and the lowest grade was a 0. I graded it on completion, not content. Students who received a 4 completed both the drawing, class presentation, then handed it in. The students who received a 0, lost their drawing before their presentation, and then failed to make one up. The female average was a 4, while the male average was a 3.2, which was due to 2 of the students losing their work and not making the assignment up. Beside that though, both males and females did equally well.
You are clearly comfortable with your scoring, but what did the assessments tell you about where your students were having difficulties?
C. Analysis of Formal Assessment
The class average of the formal assessment was an 8.25/12. If computed to a percentage, this is roughly a 69%. Three students have yet to take it because of extended absences, but they are above average students, so I expect the class average to increase when completed. This average without these students averaged in is on the lower side, but I take how the test was set up into account. There were only 4 questions, so they all held a lot of weight. The lowest grade was a 3/12 and the highest grade was an 11/12. The male average was an 8.6/12 and the female average was 7.9/12. I think there was this difference because there are fewer females, and their average is often skewed based on one outlier grade, in this case, the 3/12. If I took that grade out, the female average would be 8.75/12, which is much closer to the male average.
Should the males and females have similar averages? Why or why not? Did disaggregating the scores tell you anything useful?
High Level Student: Student 1
This student was able to answer the questions clearly and accurately, except for a little confusion with the first question. In all the questions, I was able to see that she understood the process of evolution. This student is in general a hard worker and does do well on assessments. She received an 11/12 on this assessment.
Without a scoring guide, you could have a tendency to give "hard working" students higher marks. Did this occur here? What were you looking for for each item?
Middle Level Student: Student 2
This student was able to answer each question with at least some correct information or insight. The only question he really had trouble with was the fist question, which was based purely on definitions. He had been absent prior to the quiz but still wanted to take it so he didn’t have to worry about making it up, so I feel that was why he didn’t do so well on that question. I would have preferred that he waited to take the quiz, but he has a long history of not making things up and being absent, so I allowed him to take it. He received a 9.5/12 on the quiz.
Lower Level Student: Student 3
This student doesn’t show any real grasp on the content. She was the first student done with the quiz, and said that’s all she wanted to do when I quickly looked over the test and told her that she needs more complete answers. She usually does poorly on assessments, but passes for the semester based on labs, assignments and homework, but she still should have more knowledge of the material than this. She often lets her life outside of school (friends, boyfriend) affect her mood in class (and therefore performance), and that is something we are currently working on. She received a 3/12 on her test, and said that she will try harder now and put in more effort.
How might your understanding of this student's habits influence how you give tests and quizzes?V. Commentary / Reflection
A. Reflections from Informal Assessment
I feel that the Informal assessment is one which I would do again. Many students really like the idea of being able to draw a picture to explain their part. Many of them also came up with very creative ideas that had nothing to do with biology, but made great connections to the content. It was an opportunity for them to learn and expresses themselves in a way other than words, and the artsy people really perked up. It was also good for a whole class activity because it let the students become experts in their assigned area and deemed accountable for teaching that content to the rest of the class. This accountability really had everyone working and doing their part. During the presentations, the students also really liked seeing what other people drew and have the picture explained to them.B. Reflections from Formal Assessment
I liked this assessment because it really highlighted some misconceptions that some students still had about the way organisms change over time. Some students were under the impression that organisms just change over time because they have to, and also could not explain the steps that would allow or cause an organism to change over time. So reading these quizzes really gave me the red flag to take a step back and get everyone on the same page about evolution before moving on. There were some students who did a great job though, and some who just did poorly because of the way the test was set up. The fact that there were only 4 questions, with a lot of weight on each of them caused some of the student’s grades to be lower then usual. I will still use these questions in the future, but I am going to think about using them in a quiz or test with other types of questions as well, so one incorrect answer won’t destroy their grade.VI. Conclusions
Overall, I am very happy with my assessments and the outcomes of each. Although the averages weren’t too high for the formal assessment, the students and I both learned a great deal. I was able too pinpoint misconceptions and weak areas before moving on, and they were able to have their misconceptions cleared up and continue to learn material. I also gave them an opportunity to correct their answers in detail for some extra points, so again they were testing their knowledge. The informal assessment also tied into the unit nicely, and I feel that they did get a better feel of natural selection by doing it. On the quiz, they were able to explain natural selection, but the problems were in applying the material to a new situation. This is something that I would work on and stress more in future classes.Which misconceptions did you look for? Which did you "pinpoint?"